Song of the Humpback Whale: Population Comparisons

Humpback whale songs recorded on tropical calving grounds exhibit different dialects depending on the oceanic basin. Songs sampled simultaneously from two populations in the North Pacific (Hawaii and Mexico) were essentially identical. These North Pacific songs were clearly different from the song t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral ecology and sociobiology 1981-02, Vol.8 (1), p.41-46
Main Authors: Winn, H. E., Thompson, T. J., W. C. Cummings, J. Hain, J. Hudnall, H. Hays, W. W. Steiner
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal vocalization
Art songs
Mammals
Oceans
Population dynamics
Syllables
Whale songs
Whales
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Summary:Humpback whale songs recorded on tropical calving grounds exhibit different dialects depending on the oceanic basin. Songs sampled simultaneously from two populations in the North Pacific (Hawaii and Mexico) were essentially identical. These North Pacific songs were clearly different from the song type shared by two populations in the North Atlantic (Cape Verde Islands and West Indies). Songs from the Southern Hemisphere (Tonga) represent a third distinct dialect. Our evidence shows that, despite annual change in song organization, significant differences in humpback song occur between isolated ocean basins, while only subtle differences exist within an oceanic population (Hawaii and Pacific Mexico).
ISSN:0340-5443
1432-0762
DOI:10.1007/bf00302842